Honeybees and Red Dresses
by KarkatVantasIsMyBae
Summary: A humanstuck love story between two roommates who are obviously perfect for each other, but haven't quite realized it for themselves yet. [Four chapters posted so far. Not finised, but will be updated until completion.]
1. Chapter I

_**Honeybees and Red Dresses**_

Chapter I

_**~Aradia's POV~**_

I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and shut Sollux's laptop as I passed by him on the couch in the living room. "Nope, no computers today. You promised."

"But AA... I was only gonna work abit. Honest." He smiled up at me, showing me the weird double canines he had. Really, they were just normal teeth, but the teeth behind his canines are sharp for some reason, kinda like a second set of canines. His older brother, Mituna, also has it. It's probably some sort of family trait.

"Don't _even_ try to use that excuse, Captor. You said that last weekend, and I waited three hours before I gave up and postponed it to today. Now get your lazy ass up and go hang with your friends at the zoo. Even you need sunshine." I threw a jacket at him and waited for him to put it on.

"You know, not everyone shares your love of the outdoors," he mumbled, slipping his shoes on.

"Oh, I know," I replied, grinning. "But it does mean that I have to make sure that computer nerds like yourself get their vitamin D."

He groaned, realizing that he still had his pajama bottoms on. "I need to go change pants."

"I'll go warm up the car then," I said, already on my way out the door. On my way down to the first floor, I sent a mass text to my friends to remind them of our zoo trip. We each have this thing called a "quirk," where we each type in our own weird way. It's an inside joke between us, but no one really remembers where it started. Of course, we only use it when talking to each other. It would be weird if we sent texts like that to our coworkers, or other people that we need to text. Rose, Jade, Dave, and John don't do quirks, but that's their own choice. With mine, I replace all the o's with zeros, I lowercase all of my letters, and I leave out punctuation. Another thing that we have is our handles; mine is apocalypseArisen, AA for short. Which is where Sollux gets his nickname for me from.

**[Send To: adiosToreador, arcenicCatnip, cuddlefishCuller, carcinoGenecist, gallowsCalibrator, grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: z00 trip]**

**lets meet up at the fr0nt entrance in ab0ut a half h0ur**

**invite wh0 you want but d0nt bring any0ne wh0d be a nuisance**

**~AA**

No, I didn't personally invite all of our friends. Rose and Jade are busy studying for their college entrance exams, since they were the only ones who bothered to go straight to college after graduation. The rest of our group is pretty much procrastinating about college, to which Rose is to no end nagging us about. But whatever, it's not like we all know that we're gonna be a top-notch psychiatrist. The only ones who really know what they want to do with their lives are her and Jade. And Kanaya, but being a fashion designer doesn't require college. The rest of us are just slackers.

John and Dave have been at Six Flags in Chicago for a week, so that leaves them out as well. Then there are my other friends. The others I actually chose not to invite, even though I know some of the invitees are going to invite them anyway because they know that I don't want to. Vriska, for one, is number one on that list. She's always teasing my role-playing partner, Tavros, and making him feel uncomfortable and nervous. I'm starting to think that she may just have feelings for him, but doesn't know how to show them. Which would be acceptable, and I might've invited her were it just that, but she's always out to get me. Last summer, she pushed it too far. We actually fought with our fists instead of words. There wasn't really a winner to that brawl, and it did nothing to quench our hatred of the other. I responded easily to her anger, suprising myself. But I guess when supressed anger runs in your family, (hint hint-Damara), it's not that surprising to find yourself punching someone.

I didn't invite Eridan for obvious reasons. He's always moping around when he's near Feferi. He can't get over her rejection of him, and it hurts him to have to see her be happy when he's so miserable. He's tried to get over her by having a lot of pointless one night stands with random bimbos, but even Equius can tell that it only makes him feel worse. He's felt so alone since the day that he told Feferi his feelings. She not only crushed him, but started to ignore him too. And on top of things, Vriska even stopped bothering him as much, and stopped role-playing with him. When he tried to talk to Karkat about it, he was too busy dealing with his own mess with Terezi to respond to his need for a friend. Gamzee tried to help, but he didn't really know what to do for someone in his place. All of this made Eridan feel so alone, and we all pretty much ignored the fact that he needed someone. Not that we didn't care, we were all just too caught up in our own dramas to notice what was happening. By now, it's too late to try to patch things up, so I just avoid putting him and Feferi in the same area as much as possible.

Equius is definitely going to come, since Nepeta is going. Or really, he's definately going since Nepeta is bound to tell him that I'm the one who organized this trip. Ever since our sophomore year of high school, Equius has been crushing on me. I try to act like I don't notice that he does, but it's hard when he's so obvious about it. I don't dare try telling him that I don't feel the same way. He's a huge athlete, and I really don't want to be pummeled for disappointing him. Not that I think he'd do that, but his strength is intimidating. I've just been avoiding him and hoping he finds some other girl to fall for.

Though he, like the others, are bound to come, Gamzee is the one I most want to keep away from the group. Though he's really sweet when he's on his medication and eating his brother's "special brownies," he's unpredictable when he's sober. The last few times have ended in bloody cuts and bruises for whomever he decides to beat up that day. But two years ago, right after we got back to school from winter break, Gamzee had become even more unstable that usual. His brother had left for a week for his honeymoon with Muelin, Nepeta's older sister, and had left enough brownies to last him the trip. Unfortunately, Gamzee ate them all at once. When they wore off, he had none for the rest of the week. Without the brownies, he started to refuse the meds. He went insane, and when Karkat told Equius, since he's the strongest, to restrain him so that they could call a hospital, he lost his marbles completely. He took a nearby stick in the yard and stabbed it straight through Equius's thigh. He then chocked him until his face turned blue and passed out. Luckily, Nepeta was there, or he might have been done for. She managed to scratch Gamzee in the face with her long nails, even though it hardly made him pause. But it was long enough to distract him from finishing Equius off before the authorities showed up. She ended up with a broken wrist, a concussion, two rib fractures, and bruises all along her body. A repeat of this incident is something I don't want. Especially for Nepeta's sake, who was surely traumatized by it all. I know that he's fine when he's on the meds and brownies, but it's scary to think of the possibilities when he's not.

I shake my head, trying to forget it all. There's no point in thinking about it all right now. I start the car just as Solluxt finally makes his way out of the apartment building. He slides into the passenger seat, 3DS in hand. "You can't seem to go five minutes without an electronic device," I said, backing out of my usual parking spot.

"Yeah, well, Pokémon was calling my name." I leaned over to look at his screen to see him battling. I've never been one for video games myself. I've always prefered the outdoors, so I couldn't tell what the names of the Pokémon were. But from the looks of things, he was winning.

"Put that up, or I will chuck it out the window," I warned. Sighing, he obeyed. He knows that I won't hesitate to do it. He lost his PSP by doubting me. "Seriously, the sun won't kill you. In fact, it's pretty nice." He just mock hissed in response. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, whatever. You'll live. I thought you'd be excited to hang out with Feferi."

He groaned. Apparently, today was a day for noises instead of words. "What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"We haven't been doing so well lately."

That's not good. They're_always_ doing well. If even they have spats, I've lost all hope for any future relationships I might have. Not that I'll actually have any. "What happened?"

"She's not too happy about us being roommates," he said, annoyed. "I've told her that we're best friends, and that's why we live together, but she still doesn't like me to be living with someone who might 'tempt me' into doing something that I'd regret."

"As if!" I said with a voice that was too loud for the car, making Sollux wince a little. "Sorry Sollux, but I'm getting tired of people making that assumption. It gets annoying, you know?"

Sollux looked out the window, nodding. "Yeah, I hate that too."

We sat in silence for the rest of the drive. It didn't take long to get there, and when we arrived, everyone else was there already. Surprisingly, Rose and Jade had decided to take a break from studying to join us. Not surprisingly, the ones that I didn't invite were there as well.

We travelled in a group, following the trail that the zoo has set out for the people who want to see all the animals instead of skipping around to all the exciting ones. I decided to let Nepeta and Jade lead the pack, since they knew the most about animals. We all fell in behind them, making small talk among each other.

Kanaya and Rose talked quietly to themselves, Rose blushing all the while. It's not hard to image the kind of thing they could be talking about to make her so flustered. Vriska was pulling on Tavros's ears, Terezi was texting Dave, Karkat was listening to Eridan talk about his relationship issues while Gamzee piped in to say something ridiculous every once in a while. Equius was doing the same as usual; following Nepeta while she talked with Jade about the animals in the zoo, all the while sneaking glances at me. Is it just me, or is he looking at me more than usual? Is that determination that I see in his gaze? Did I just see Nepeta look over too?

Oh no. He talked to Nepeta about his crush on me, and she told him to confess his feelings for me. What am I supposed to do? I can't reject him! I don't dislike him, I just... don't like him. There's a difference!

I sigh. Guess I'll just have to accept him.

It won't be too bad, will it? After all, I've been told by lots of people that it's about time that I enter a relationship. I'm nineteen years old, dammit, and I need some guy action. Who cares if I don't have any feelings for him now? I'm bound to get them sooner or later. And then it'll be fine.

I soon realized that everyone was branching off in different directions, and soon I was left with Equius, Tavros, and Vriska. But since Vriska was focusing all of her attention on bullying Tavros, and Tavros was focusing all of his attention on trying to escape, it was like me and Equius were alone.

He wasted no time approaching me. As he made his way towards me, I leaned against the fence separating us from the meerkat exhibit. He settled beside me, leaning in the same fashion that I was.

"You know Aradia, I've known you for quite some time, and I've grown to like you a lot in that time," he began, looking and sounding nervous. Equius always was one to get nervous and sweat a lot in straightforward situations. "And I was wondering, if you weren't busy next Friday night, if we could-" He paused, running his hands through his greasy black hair. "If you want, we could go catch a movie, or get some dinner, or something."

I don't know why, but for some reason, I couldn't help but blush at what he was asking of me. I've always noticed that he liked me, but never had I actually heard him say something like this. I've never heard _anyone _say something like this to me. It feels... nice. Warm, even. And it makes me almost as nervous as he seems to be.

Cheeks warm and probably bright red, I nodded. "Yes. I'd like that a lot. Thank you." I don't know what made me say yes. Well, except for deciding earlier that I was going to. I don't know what made me _want_ to say yes. But whatever it was, it feels right. But maybe that's just because I haven't had any other relationships, and it's a natural response to feel elated when asked out.

Equius grinned, showing off his battered teeth. They were perfectly white, obviously brushed regularly, but many were missing. He has a habit of building fighting robots and setting them to kill mode. I know, building robots isn't a normal hobby, but Equius has money, and a lot of it. He could build what ever he wanted to.

"Should I pick you up at six then?"

_**~Sollux's POV~**_

Feferi led me to the deserted indoor reptile room after we successfully left the group. She had told me that we needed to talk about something important, but I couldn't help but think that it would be the same old argument.

"What is it, Feferi?" I asked, trying to seem concerned. To be honest though, I don't really care anymore. I made my point a while ago. Bringing it up again would just irritate me more.

"I have space at my condo, if you want to move in," she said hopefully. "I know that it's sudden for me to ask for you to live with me, but I was hoping-"

"I'm not going to move in with you," I stated firmly, not bothering to hide my anger. "I already told you, Aradia and I are just friends. _Best _friends."

"I can't help but be suspicious, Sollux! She's pretty, and you're sleeping under the same roof. How would you feel if were roommates with Eridan? Well, before we hit that rough patch."

I growled, hugging Feferi possesively. Thinking about that slimeball angered me more than anything else. Thinking about him with my girlfriend... It's enough to send me into a rage.

"Exactly! Now do you see my point?" Feferi looked up at me, pleading with her eyes. I sighed, not giving in to her.

"You know that's different. Aradia is a good person. She would never do something like that. Besides, she's my best friend. I can't leave her all alone." Feferi sighed, clearly not happy that I refuse to give her what she wants. Well, I'm not happy either. But if I don't calm down and explain things rationally, it might just upset her more. "Look, I haven't done anything. I don't plan on doing anything. And I never will. You trust me, don't you?"

Feferi seemed to calm down too. "Of course I do. But what if she suddenly notices what a big hunk of cute nerd you are?"

I had to laugh at that. Me, cute? Not likely. But she does have a way of saying things that make me happy, even if it's only temporary.

She kissed me on the nose then, and led me out of the reptile room. We spent a good amount of time walking around and looking at the exotic animals. Feferi had a great time at the aquadic section; not surprising, since she's a trainer at a local marine care center, where she helps to train some of the whales and dolphins. After a while, we left the animals to meet back up with the others at the entrance. But all the while, I couldn't help but think, what if Aradia did suddenly fall for me?


	2. Chapter II

_**Honeybees and Red Dresses**_

Chapter II

_**~Aradia's POV~**_

When I finally got home, I went straight to my room and immediately started going through my closet. I can't help but feel nervous. It's my first date! Maybe I should call Kanaya and ask her to take me shopping for a cute outfit to wear.

Pulling out my usual wardrobe, I decided to go ahead and do that. My usual v-neck and long skirt was not gonna cut it. Sure, they're pretty enough, but they're my everyday clothes. I can't go casual on a first date, right? I have no idea how these things work. It's a good thing I have Kanaya.

"Hello?" She asked, answering my call.

"Kanaya, can I ask for some advice?" I asked nervously.

"Honey, is something wrong? You don't sound quite like your usual peppy self. Did something happen?"

I paused, second guessing myself about telling her. Kanaya isn't one to tell everybody about someone's business; if she says anything, it'll be to Rose, who wouldn't tell anyone at all. What scares me is her inevitable gushing over it.

I decided to hell with it. I need her help. "I have a date on Friday, and-" I paused as I heard an excited intake of breath on the other side of the line. "And I need help choosing what to wear."

"You have a date? With whom? And where will this date take place? What will you be doing? I need all of the details, right now." Even though I expected this, it was still mind rattling to hear all of it.

"Well, yesterday at the zoo, when everyone broke into their own little groups, Equius asked me out," I said, only answering one question so as to give her time to react to this one.

"Oh, I knew he had feelings for you. You could tell just by looking at him when you're in the room." I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "To be honest, I would've thought he'd be too shy, and take too long to come forward, and he'd lose his opportunity to snag you before a certain other boy did. Must have been mistaken on that one. I guess I didn't factor in how dense he is with his own feelings."

I blanked. Before a certain other boy did? "There's another guy who likes me?"

Silence. Then, after a moment of shuffling noises from Kanaya's end of the phone line, I heard Rose's voice. "She's said too much. Unfortunately, she keeps forgetting that some things are best kept to herself, so as to not ruin future events."

"I don't get it. What can't she tell me? And why?" If another guy liked me, why hadn't I noticed? I'm not the best at reading people, I know that, but I certainly wasn't daft. I could tell when someone was crushing on me. Not that it's happened more than once, of course.

"Nothing, just forget that she ever said anything about it," Rose answered. "We'll meet you at the mall in twenty minutes to do some shopping. Kanaya says that you don't have any 'first date' clothes, and you know how on point she is about stuff like that, which is probably why you called her seeking advice." Some more shuffling and muffled voices, and the phone was back in Kanaya's hands.

"Bring Terezi with you. She's going to see Dave when he gets back in town tomorrow for dinner. I think she's having engine problems, so she'll need a ride," she said, then ended the conversation with a promise to see me at the mall.

After hanging up, I tossed my cell phone onto my bed. I quickly changed out of the sweaty clothes that I wore to the zoo and put on something simple to go shopping in. I also put my wallet and cell phone into my shoulder purse, knowing that Kanaya would get onto me if I forgot it. She always says that a woman always needs her purse.

As I went to exit my room, I heard a knock at my door. Already knowing who I was going to find, I opened it to see Sollux leaning against the door frame. "Hey AA, are you doing anything right now? I was wondering if you could test out this beta I made for the new program I'm designing to automatically sort files into folders," he beamed, clearly excited about his sudden breakthrough with his latest project.

"I can later. I'm going shopping with some of the girls," I replied, walking past him. He followed me into the kitchen, laughing.

"Since when do you go shopping with the girls?"

I blushed. He knew me well enough to know that shopping wasn't really my thing. But I definitely didn't want to listen to him tease me about having a date, so I skipped over telling him about that part. "Since Terezi has a date tomorrow, and has car troubles, therefore needing a ride."

"She could've just asked Kanaya. She loves playing fashion designer with you guys."

I shrugged. "She's coming too. Rose as well."

Sollux seemed to have bought that without questioning the fact that Kanaya could've picked her up, thereby eliminated the need for me entirely. That, or he just didn't bother asking about it further. "Alright. Have fun."

When I got to my car, I heard a ping from my cell phone. I unlocked the screen to see that I received a message from Sollux.

**[From: twinArmaggedons]**

**[Subject: curfew]**

**be home by ten. ii stiill need you two te2t that beta out for me.**

**-TA**

I laughed at his attempt at giving me a parental order. I sent a response telling him that I will come home when I damn well please. But also that I was probably gonna be back by nine-thirty anyway.

Since I already had my phone out, I decided to send a warning text to Terezi, telling her about the shopping trip, and to be ready when I pull up.

_**~Sollux's POV~**_

Something's up with Aradia, and I want to know about it.

I've spent half an hour already, pacing back and forth in my room, not even bothering to fiddle with codes or play my handheld games. I know that I don't really have the right to pry into her business if she obviously doesn't want to tell me about it, but I need to know why she was blushing after the zoo trip, and going straight to her room as soon as we got home all giddy like.

Oh wait. As the best friend, I do have that right.

I grabbed my cell phone and sent a text to Kanaya, asking about their spontaneous shopping trip, and what it was for. Six minutes later, I got her reply.

**[From: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: Trip To The Mall]**

**Aradia Has A Date On Friday And She Is Trying To Look Her Best So Please Dont Tease Her About It Its Her First One**

**GA**

What? Aradia has a date? Why does she have a date? Who asked her out? Strangely enough, this is really getting to me. Protective best friend instincts must be kicking in.

**[Send To: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: WHAT]**

**2iince when did aa have date2? when diid that become a thing? who a2ked her out?**

**-TA**

**[From: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: I Didnt Realize You Cared So Much About Her Love Life]**

**Equius Asked Her To Dinner While We Were At The Zoo And She Agreed**

**She Seems Really Thrilled To Go**

**GA**

Equius? Now that she mentioned it, he was staring at her quite a lot at the zoo... And every other time he's been around her. Why hadn't I noticed before?

**[Send To: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: iim her be2t friiend 2o duh]**

**he diid? ii diidnt know he even liiked her.**

**-TA**

**[From: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: You Sure Its Not More]**

**Thats Because You Dont Pay Attention To Anything But Your Silly Electronic Games**

**GA**

**[Send To: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: what other rea2on2 are there?]**

**they are not 2iilly. and ii do pay attentiion.**

**-TA**

**[From: grimAuxiliatrix]**

**[Subject: Sigh]**

**Yes They Are Silly But I Must Go There Is Something I Must Deal With**

**GA**

_**~Aradia's POV~**_

We were just leaving the food court, shopping already finished and tons of bags in our hands, when Karkat suddenly appeared, having left the nearby bookstore with a romance novel in his hand.

"Oh, hey," he nodded his head towards Terezi.

"Hey," she nodded back.

"What are all the bags for?" Karkat asked, curious.

Terezi looked down at her feet, suddenly finding her shoelaces to be interesting. I could tell by the awkward expression on her face that she really didn't want to answer the question that he asked.

"Dave's gonna be back in town tomorrow, and I haven't seen him in a week, so I thought I'd invite him to dinner," she replied quickly, not daring to look up to see how he'd take it.

"So like a loyal little lapdog, you get all excited to greet your master by wagging your tail and doing a little trick," Karkat added with jealousy and anger laced into his voice.

Terezi looked up then, face full of venom. "Don't compare me to a lapdog! I do _not _do that. I missed him and I want to celebrate that he's home. That's what girlfriends do. Do _not_ insult me without having a good reason."

Karkat's face turned red with anger. But before I could hear his response, Kanaya interfered. "Enough, Karkat. You're acting immature. Just leave. It's not your place to say anything about what she does anymore."

Karkat grumbled some choice words, and then left, looking more sad than he did angry. Looking over at Terezi, I could tell that she felt the same that he did. I guess that's what happens when couples break up; all the love they once felt for each other disappears, and all that's left is anger and sadness.

Do I really want to get myself mixed up in that too?

Looking over at Rose and Kanaya, and knowing how happy they are, I have to say that it may just be worth it. In that time you get before it all comes crashing down, it's blissful; full of love and full of joy. And eventually, I'll find the person that I'll never have to experience that heartache with. They'll be mine forever, and there will be endless love and joy.

_That's _why I'm joining the dating game. To find the person who completes me, the one that I'm destined to be with. And no matter how long I have to look, I'll find him.


	3. Chapter III

_**Honeybees and Red Dresses**_

Chapter III

_**~Sollux's POV~**_

I decided not to bring up the fact that I know Aradia has a date.

But as the week goes on, her good mood just starts to irk me. Sure, she's got a date, but does she really have to be so freaking happy about it? I keep wanting to bring it up, but I know that she'd assume that I did it to tease her, and I don't want that.

And why don't I want to tease her about it? Why don't I want to make fake swoon noises and wiggle my eyebrows mockingly? Why does it piss me off so much that she's going out with someone?

I guess that it's some kind of protective friend thing. I've come to see her as a little sibling, and I want to hide my sister from the world. Nevermind that we're actually the same age.

On Wednesday, I decide to talk to Karkat about it.

Sitting in the living room of the apartment he shared with Gamzee, I told him everything about what was going on. We were lucky that Gamzee wasn't home; he'd probably try to tell Aradia that I was feeling conflicted about her situation. Not that he'd do it to be an asshole, but because he wants to try to help people, even if he isn't very good at it.

"KK, I feel like an overprotective brother," I tell him. "Every time I think about her going out with Equius, I want to tell her she can't go."

Karkat sighed in the crabbiest manner possible. "I really don't want to deal with your issues right now. Why'd you even come over here?"

"I don't know. You give really shitty advice," I say, knowing he'd take the bait.

"I do not! Just you listen, I'm about the give the fuck outta this advice, so just sit your ass down and listen to me spew a bunch of helpful nonsense," he growled.

I grinned. He's so easy. Just tell him he can't do something, and he'll jump up to prove you wrong.

It's natural that you feel overprotective and brotherly," he continued, "You've been her best friend since third grade, and you've been living with her for about a year now. It only makes sense that you'd develop some sense of responsibility for her well being, ergo the feeling of big brotherhood."

"Well, I'm glad that it's normal, at least," I say. "I was starting to think that I'm weird."

"You _are _weird, dumbass." He rolled his eyes. "Look, you should just suck it up and not say anything. If you try to talk to her about it, and accidentally imply that you don't like that she has started dating, she may find your big brother attitude to be annoyingly pushy and too controlling. It could ruin your friendship with her."

Although I don't think that Aradia would let something like that ruin our friendship, I have to agree. Being silent is the best option.

"So, I heard that you and Terezi had a bit of a spat at the mall the other day," I say, switching the subject to him.

Karkat groaned. "Why is it only my business that Kanaya spreads around?"

"It was a good thing she stopped it before you could say something you'd regret."

"And what makes you think I'd do that?" He asked, scowling. "I'd never regret insulting that self-serving, ironic dickhead."

"Because you always say angry and moronic things," I say, rolling my eyes. Karkat glared at me in return. "Did you ever think that when you insult him in front of her, you insult her too, and her judgement in men? And besides, you insulted her directly when you were at the mall."

"I did not!"

"So calling her a needy lapdog and yelling at her isn't insulting?"

"Karkat muttered some choice words.

"Look, if you still love her, you should show her that you do. Don't be an asshole. Nobody likes an asshole," I say, standing up. "I've gotta go. I have the night shift again, and I still need to take a shower and start laundry."

I left his apartment building, the one a block away from my own, considering what he told me. I can't be pushy. I can't even bring it up. I have to suffer through it, without knowing anything about what's going on in her newfound lovelife, even when it's all that's on my mind.

_**~Aradia's POV~**_

When Friday rolled around, I invited Kanaya and Rose over to help me get ready.

"Hold still darling, I just need to-" Kanaya grabbed another bobby pin to hold down the hair Rose was currently holding in place. "There." The pin was in place, and Rose released her grip. It stayed in place, and the war with my hair was over.

I turned around, peering at my reflection in the vanity. My thick, unruly, chocolate brown hair had somehow been pulled back into a tight bun. We had also done my make-up; something I never did on a regular basis. Kanaya had suggested to go natural, so we forgoed the eyeshadow and stuck with only mascara and eyeliner that brought out the color in my brown eyes. Because I have clear skin and even complexion, something Rose admits she is quite jealous of, we didn't need to add concealer or foundation.

Kanaya was the one who picked out the clothes that I bought for today. She chose a dark red silk scarf, a matching layered skirt, and a black long-sleeved v-neck with a dark red embroidered flower flower pattern lining the bottom. The heels I'm wearing I borrowed from Kanaya's collection; a pair of three inch black wedges with small bows on them. If I was honest with myself, I didn't look half bad.

Rose returned to reading her book and sitting on my bed. She nodded her approval at my appearance, and I beamed. Kanaya also seemed pleased with how I look. "You look lovely, Aradia."

I blushed. "Thank you." Before she could say anything else, I heard Sollux yell from the living room. "Equius is here!"

I'd had to tell him about it eventually, so I did this morning. I couldn't just dress up all nice and not expect him to be confused when my date showed up. He took it well enough; he didn't get all protective big brother on me like Equius did when Nepeta got her first date, which isn't really his style anyway. He's more aloof than that; he only gets protective over the things that he loves, like his computer tech and his girlfriend, Feferi.

Kanaya and Rose followed me into the living room to see me off. I invited them to say the night, and even invited Terezi and Nepeta to come over later as well. That way, as Kanaya put it, I can give them all kinds of fresh details.

When I got to the living room, Sollux was facing Equius, his arms crossed. Equius noticed me immediately, and when Sollux saw his focas shift to what was behind him, he turned around to face me as well. Equius was dressed in a pair of black pants with a royal blue dress shirt. He left his usual pair of sunglasses at home, probably at the command of Nepeta. I just know she's coordinating him. She loves to help bring people together and make them happy. Not that I'm complaining; even if he's a bit tall, and he gets kinda sweaty when he's nervous, he's a fairly attractive guy.

Equius began to blush when I came closer. I did too, when I noticed his eyes roaming. "Aradia... you look... great."

"You do too," I replied, giving him a small smile. He returned it with a large one of his own.

"Don't stay out too late," Sollux butted in. "You don't want to leave Rose and Kanaya hanging here all alone tonight."

"Oh Sollux, she'll be fine. We have you to entertain us," Rose responded. We all laughed at the idea of Sollux doing anything besides computer stuff, except Sollux himself, who just glowered and muttered something I couldn't catch.

"Shall we go?" Equius asked, motioning towards the door. I nodded and followed him out.

_**~Sollux's POV~**_

This morning, Aradia told me about her date. I knew that she would, she had to eventually, so I was prepared to act surprised.

"Equius asked you out on a date?" I did my best to sound convinsing. "I didn't know he had feelings for you."

"Yeah. I guess that if you don't pay attention to that kind of thing-which you don't-you wouldn't notice anything."

"I suppose not."

After she got home from work at five, she wasted no time getting ready. Kanaya and Rose were here a mere ten minutes after she arrived. And I had to overhear every loud squeal of excitement that arose from Aradia that leaked through the doorway of her bedroom. Because I get off at three-thirty, I was here in plenty of time to see all of it.

_Ugh_, those girls gave me the biggest headache. Even now, reclining in my computer desk chair almost an hour later, I still feel irritated. And it doesn't help that he'll be here any minute, and I'm gonna have to be the one to answer the door for him.

I played on my computer, waiting for him to show up. Although I already have a job working at Best Buy, I do some web designing as a hobby. I even make money off it too. I only design sites for small companies though; if the site gets too many visitors, I'll have to update it more often, and I just don't want to deal with that kind of responsibility. Currently, I'm working on a site that sells various handmade perfumes, spices, and things of the like. Although they asked for a two column layout, I'm designing it to have three. With all of the different categories of items they sell, and all of the different options they're requesting, they need all three.

I must've gotten lost in the world of programming at some point, because before I knew it, I almost missed the doorbell ring. I open it to find, what a shocker, Equius Zahhak.

"Hey Equius," I say, not all that enthusiastic.

"Hello. Aradia is home, yes?"

"She lives here, so yeah." His attire seemed to not fit him very well. Usually he wears a tank top and shorts, along with his sunglasses, but he must've dawned this outfit for his date with Aradia. I invited him in, then yelled for the girls to get out here.

I crossed my arms, facing him. "You're not gonna try anything on her, are you?"

"Oh heavens no," he said, taken aback. "What kind of neandrathal do you take me for?"

I immediately apologized. "Look, sorry, I just-"

"Yeah, I get it. Makes me a little mad, but I do," he said, cutting me off. Before I could ask what he could possibly mean, Aradia walked in, with Kanaya and Rose close behind.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She looked great, she really did. I guess Kanaya must've cought me staring, because she winked at me knowingly. What did she know? Her mysterious way of hinting at things unknown to me was getting old.

Equius spoke first. "Aradia... you look... great." She blushed, and I looked over to see him looking at her in awe. It wasn't hard to see why. She looks far more than great.

She looks beautiful.

"You do too." I tried not to scoff at that. It's obvious that he's so out of place in fancy dresswear.

Finally getting tired of seeing them check each other out shamelessly, I cut in. "Don't stay out too late. You don't want to leave Rose and Kanaya hanging here all alone tonight."

"Oh Sollux," Rose began, "She'll be fine. We have you to entertain us."

Everyone laughed, but I just grumbled something she probably wouldn't appreciate me saying aloud. Equius motioned toward the door. "Shall we go?" Aradia nodded, and then they left.

"Well, I doubt you could've been any more obvious," Kanaya commented aloud after a few moments of silence.

I turned to face her, scowling. "Just what are you hinting at?"

She opens her mouth to answer me, but Rose elbows her in the side. "Nevermind, it's nothing." I looked over at Rose, silently asking her why she just made her girlfriend keep quiet about whatever she was going to tell me. She shrugged, like it really wasn't important.

I sighed. I'm done with girls. I swear it.

"We'll be in Aradia's room reading if you need us," Kanaya informed me, heading in that direction. "We ate before we arrived, so if you cook a meal, there's no need to make us any."

I nodded, waving them off. I sat back down in my chair, and tried to get back to work. After ten minutes, I gave up. I can't focus when I have so much going through my head. What are they doing right now? Is Equius buying her a rose? Is he congradulating her on her new promotion at work? Is he complimenting her on how beautiful she looks?

I pull out my phone, sending a text to Feferi, asking her is she was busy. Hopefully if I spend some time with the love of my life, my head might clear up. I bought a new brand of condoms that I'd like to try out anyway.

I informed the girls that I was leaving, and I made my way over to Feferi's estate. To say that her home was large would be an understatement; it's practically a mansion. In fact, I think _is _a mansion. It held more rooms than anybody could even count. Feferi herself doesn't even know. It seems like everytime she tries to count it changes.

Because I warned her ahead of time, she was waiting for me on the porch. She still lives with her mother and her sister, Meenah, so she has to sneak around when I come over. We couldn't risk the butler seeing us. If her mother caught us... that would be the end of me. Feferi is supposed to only date people who have both money and "good blood," as her mother puts it. Her boyfriends not only have to have a lot of wealth, but also a long history of that wealth.

We snuck inside, using the usual pathway of practically deserted hallways. At one point, a maid almost caught us, but we managed to sneak into a cuboard before she noticed us. Eventually we found the perfect room; _our_ room.

The room we use everytime we meet together here is located on the second floor, the floor for all of the visiter suites. I'd have prefered her room, we both would, really, but there's too high a chance a maid might pop in and catch us.

"Feferi, I've missed you," I say, holding her tightly once we made it into the safety of the room. I kissed the top of her forehead and played with the strands of her sandy blonde hair, which I know she liked.

"I've missed you too, Sollux." She giggled. "I haven't seen you since the zoo trip. Have you been busy?"

We sat down on one of the couches in the sitting area of the bedroom. Yeah, it's that fancy. "I've been swamped. They've been laying people off at work and making the rest of us do longer shifts."

Feferi gasped. "They're doing this again?" She took my hand and leaned against me comfortingly. "What are your hours now?"

"I have to be there at five, and I leave at three thirty. They also asign me a night shift from time to time," I answer, squeezing her hand. "There's only three of us on staff now."

"That's ridiculous! You should come work with me. We have less hours, and a lot bigger paycheck."

I shook my head. She knows that I don't like being outdoors with animals, or in water all the time. "It's fine, FF. Apple is going to be hiring soon, so I'll just apply there."

She kissed me on the cheek. "Okay, babe. Just don't work yourself to death."

"I won't, I promise," I said, then kissed her.


	4. Chapter IV

_[I'm not gonna name a particular resturant that Aradia and Equius visit, so the reader can use their imagination on that. Same with their meals. I don't know what fancy people eat and where they go to eat it.]_

_**Honeybees and Red Dresses**_

Chapter IV

_**~Equius's POV~**_

When we get to the resturaunt, I request a table for two by the windows. The waiter seats us and hands each of us a menu. By the way Aradia was looking at the decor in awe, I could tell that she'd never been out to dinner in a place like this.

"Do you like it?" I ask.

She nods her head yes, unable to say anything. I suppose that I could've just taken her to a normal resturant that someone who isn't rich would go to, but why not impress her by giving her something other guys can't give her?

After we decide on our meals, we hand the waiter our menus and wait in awkward silence until he brings back a basket of breadsticks and two glasses of sparkling water. After two sips of the water and a bite of a breadstick, I finally speak up.

"So, Aradia..." I trail off, not sure what to say, but still wanting to say something.

"Yes, Equius?" She responds, looking at me intently. Her eyes are so beautiful; all of her is. It's hard not to notice. Her long, wavy hair, her sparkling eyes, her wonderful figure... It's enough to make a man forget about the world. Not that her appearance is the only thing that's grabbed my intrest. I love everything about her, I even love her rebellious sense of adventure. Even if it's a bit too rebellious than I like. Or maybe I do like it? I haven't decided yet.

I finally remembered what I'd been wanting to ask for a while. "I've been meaning to ask you, why haven't you dated before now?" I took in her annoyed look and realized my mistake. "I don't mean to be rude, I just-I was curious." I can feel the heat burning in my cheeks, and I know I'm blushing. My palms begin to sweat too, like they usually do when I'm in an awkward situation.

Her face loses the annoyance, and I can tell that she forgives me. "It's okay. I'm asked that question all the time, and I'm just tired of hearing it."

"I'm sorry then," I say, meaning it. "You don't have to answer that."

Her expression turns into one of deep thought, like she was debating something. But before she could speak up, our food was brought to us, and we began to eat.

We kept the conversation light, switching between easy topics like work and our friends. Apparently, her work as a secretary is pretty boring. Her coworkers are pretty great though, so there's not much to complain about. She even gets to work with Tavros everyday, who works in the same building. Vriska also works in the same building, but she avoids her because of the incident last summer.

Just when we were finishing our meal, Aradia came back to our earlier conversation. "I've never been asked out before."

"What?"

"I've never been asked out before," she repeated. "That's why I've never dated." She looked embaressed, saying this. Her face is flushed, she's jittery, and she won't meet my eyes. "I guess I'm just not very interesting."

I'm taken aback. Her, not very interesting? "How can you say that about yourself? I think everything about you is interesting." I blush again, realizing how straightforward that sounded coming from me. She didn't seem to mind though. "I can't believe that no one has asked you." Just then, a thought occured to me. "And you haven't asked anyone else?"

"No. I haven't really liked anyone. I've always wanted to like someone, but I haven't. And besides, I'm not sure if I'd be able to say anything anyways."

I nodded, understanding that well.

_**~Aradia's POV~**_

When I got home, it was a nice surprise to see that everyone was already there, and Sollux had decided to go to Feferi's house, so it'll be an all girls party. I invited Nepeta, Terezi, Jade, and Feferi to the sleepover as well, but Terezi was suddenly busy, and Feferi cancelled last minute, since she wanted to have some alone time with Sollux. Not that I mind, of course. I completely understand.

I groaned when I heard Vriska's voice from my bedroom. She obviously wasn't invited. She doesn't even like me, so there's no reason for her to crash the party. In fact, we downright _hate_ each other. Why would she want to stay the night at my apartment? Who even let her in?

My question was answered when I entered my bedroom and she was busy conversing with Kanaya. I shoot Kanaya daggers and sit down on the bed next to Rose, who was busy shooting daggers of her own at Vriska. She's probably still defensive about Kanaya's old crush.

Everyone greeted me and welcomed me back, even Vriska, who I assume is behaving because Kanaya is forcing her to be a good girl. I need to remember to ask her later why she let her in. They asked about how my date went, but were disappointed when I told them that I didn't get a kiss.

"Are you serious?" Vriska added her unneeded opinion. "Zahhak takes you out to a nice resturant, pays for everything, and even schedules a second date, and you didn't get one lousy kiss?"

"I think he's just gentlemanly," I reply. "Not every guy is out to get into a girl's panties immediately. Some guys are actually respectable." She rolled her eyes, understanding my tone to be condescending about her choice in men. One point for me.

"He is gentlemanly. He won't go for a kiss until the end of the second date," Nepeta piped in. "He's also really shy and nervous about dating, so it may not even happen then."

The girls took turns giving me advice on my new relationship, since I don't have any experience of my own. Rose tells me to listen to him, and be mindful of what he wants. Kanaya adds on to it by saying to also remember that I need to listen to myself as well, and what I want. The relationship is about the both of us being happy, not one or the other.

"Why does she need to know all this?" Vriska, yet again, spoke. "She just started her relationship. There's no way it could go downhill yet." She shook her head, causing Nepeta, who was braiding her hair, to make a frustrated sound. "Sorry, Nepeta. What I mean is to not be concerned about those things yet. You'll only get to experience the freshness of this new relationship once, so try to enjoy it while you can instead of worrying about what might ruin it."

I think about that for a moment. She has a valid point, even if I don't like her. And she seems so genuine about it. Kanaya, who is usually the first to reprimand her for saying harsh things, nodded in agreement to her statement. What she says, she says out of an honest desire to help me. "Thank you," I tell her, meaning it as well. If she can be nice to me, then I can be nice to her.

"So, who wants to talk about their relationships?" I ask later, after Nepeta had already braided everyone's hair.

"Or, we could just paint our nails," Jade answered, trying to change the subject. "I think I'd like to get a nice lime green to match my favorite dress." But before she could get out my legendary collection of nail polish from beneath my bed, we were already focused on the subject of her love life.

"Jade, we all know who you like," Nepeta says. "There's no point in hiding it."

Jade blushed, feigning ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on," Vriska added. "It's so obvious. The only one who doesn't realize it is Terezi, and that's because she's too busy drooling over him to see you drooling over him."

"What Vriska means to say," Kanaya says, "Is that we have noticed the boy you currently have affectionate feelings toward."

"You have?" She asked nervously, nail polish already forgotten. "I try to not make it obvious, but that's apparently not working."

"It's okay, Jade," I say, comfortingly. "We won't tell. Right girls?"

Everyone nods, including Vriska, which is surprising. She probably doesn't want anyone to say anything about her strange crush on Tavros.

"If you want, you can try to talk it out here," Rose told her. "We're all friends here. Most of us, anyway." She looks accusingly at Vriska.

"Hey! I _am_ your friend. I might be mean sometimes, but that's the kind of person that I am. That doesn't make me any less your friend." She declared, looking hurt. "Some people aren't friendly as easily as you guys are."

We instantly feel terrible. Even I do, for hating her for so long. "I'm sorry," I tell her, after the long silence that came after what she said.

She was taken aback by my apology, but she quickly returned one of her own. "I'm sorry too."

After that, we all apologized to her. We spent the rest of the night talking about boys, even Rose and Kanaya gave their opinions on them, which was pretty funny to hear, since they aren't very interested in them. We did end up painting our nails, and we even watched a movie. We didn't fall asleep until we could see the light from the morning sun begin to creep in from my bedroom window, but that was alright with us.

_**~Sollux's POV~**_

I returned to find six girls asleep in Aradia's room. Three were on the bed, three were curled up with blankets and pillows on the floor. And of course, I can not resist the notion of scaring the fuck out of them.

I went to my own room, and pulled my air horn out of closet. I race back to Aradia's room, nearly failing to keep my laughter silent. 3... 2... 1! I blast it, and all of the girls jump up screaming bloody murder.

"Sollux!" Aradia shouts, then starts laughing. Everyone is laughing, when they realize that it was only a prank.

"John would be proud," Jade says, in between fits of giggles.

"And he'd probably try to top it with something better," Rose added. All of the girls stopped laughing suddenly, as very thoughtful expressions crossed all of their faces.

"What?" I ask, trying to understand what was going on. Was my joke suddenly lame? Did it trigger something bad?

Vriska was the first to explain the silence. "Oh, you'll be getting yours, just you wait."

"Yeah, and hiding from us won't work. We've already in-furr-trated your home," Nepeta adds, pointing at Aradia.

"I don't get it," I say, just before realizing their intent. They're gonna get me back with something even worse. "Oh, dammit." They giggled, sharing looks between each other of pure evil.

"You may not now when," Kanaya starts.

"Or how," Rose adds.

"Or even where," Vriska adds as well.

"But it'll be coming right back to you. Just you wait," Aradia finishes, as if they coordinated it all. Or maybe they did. Girls are fucking weird.

I roll my eyes. "Oh _whatever_. You girls couldn't prank the side of a barn."

"More like, 'Oh whatever, Sollux couldn't take a prank if it came with a warning,'" Vriska returned.

And with that, war was officially declared.

_[Bit of a short chapter, but writer's block is a real struggle, so just roll with it, okay? I'll try for a long one next time.]_


End file.
